FILE - In this Thursday, July 24, 2008 file photo, obese patients wash their plates after lunch at the Aimin Fat Reduction Hospital in Tianjin, China. The hospital uses a combination of diet, exercise and traditional Chinese acupuncture to treat rising obesity rates. Research released Monday, June 12, 2017 found the obesity epidemic is getting worse in most parts of the world, according to data between 1980 and 2015.
Image Credit: (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)
June 12, 2017 - 8:30 AM
NEW YORK - The world's weight problem is growing in countries rich and poor, and in many of them obesity is increasing faster in children than adults.
The research found obesity has tripled in youth and young adults in countries like China, Brazil and Indonesia. That suggests future increases in diabetes and other health problems in much of the world.
Similar studies by the same researchers have shown obesity is increasing, but their new work offers startling new numbers about children.
The researchers estimated more than 107 million children and 603 million adults can be counted are obese. Together, that's about 10 per cent of the world's population.
The New England Journal of Medicine published the report online Monday.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2017